Plain Tales from the Hills - Oxford World's Classics

Witty, wry, sometimes cynical, sometimes pathetic, these stories, with their brevity and concentration of effect are a landmark in the history of the short story. First published in 1888, Plain Tales from the Hills was Kipling's first volume of prose fiction. Most of the stories had already appeared in the Civil and Miltiary Gazette and all were written before he reached the age of 22. They show a remarkably precocious literary talent. His vignettes of life in the British India of the time give vivid insights into Anglo-India at work and play, into barrack-room life, and into the character of the Indians themselves. This edition contains two stories which appeared in the original series, but were not included in the collected volume...